Brake for baby carriages, strollers, and the like



- May 13, 1947'. A. M. BOUDREAU 2,420,412

BRAKE FOR BABY CARRIAGES, STRQLLERS AND THE LIKE File'd Feb. 19, 1946Patented May 13, 1947 STATES BRAKE, F031 BABY CARRIAGES, STROLLERS, ANDTHE LIKE Application February 19, 1946, Serial No. 648,670

PATENT OFFICE ZAZAlZ Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in vehicle brakes. Moreespecially it provides an ime proved braking mechanism which has aparticular utility in connection with baby carriages, strollers and thelike, but which is suitable for embodiment in any type of wheeledvehicle of the general class requiring braking mechanism which isoperable from a particular position exteriorly of the vehicle.

Braking mechanisms for vehicles of the general type to which theinvention relates ordinarily have a pedal actuator pivotally mounted onan axle of the vehicle for foot actuation of the brake to on and oilpositions, or have a pivoted hand lever at an elevated position formanual actuation of the brake. In the case of baby carriages, strollersand the like, the pedal actuator customarily is a lever which standsgenerally in a projecting horizontal position when the brake is ofi ordisengaged so that a downward pressure of a foot can move the lever withan over-center snap action to a generally vertical position for engagingthe brake with the vehicle wheels. However, to disengage the brake, thefoot must be inserted under the end of the lever and be drawn upward tomove the lever back toward horizontal position. Unless care is takenwhen releasing or disengaging the brake, the end of the pedal lever maydig into the instep of the foot with painful results. In any event, theend of the lever tends to scratch or otherwise mar the shoe or may catchand cause a run in the stocking on the foot which is effecting thedisengagement.

In the case of manual brake actuators for baby carriages, strollers andthe like, the hand lever usually mounted well up on the pusher handlewithin easy reach of the hand of the person operating the vehicle. Butthe hand lever brake actuators involve connections running up to thelever which, with the lever itself, tend to detract from the appearanceof the vehicle, and the hand levers, operating through relatively longconnecting members, require more force to operate them than can beapplied readily by a ladys hand.

It is among the objects of my present inven tion to provide abraking'mechanism for wheeled vehicles which may be actuated both toapply the brake to disengage the brake by a generally downward pressureof a foot. I employ a. rigid pivoted brake lever which constantly isbiased toward engaged position and which includes an actuating bar whichconveniently may be depressed by a foot to rock the lever, in oppositionto its bias, to a brake-release position in which 2 the actuating barbecomes engaged and held by a latch. When it is desired to engage thebrake, a generally downward foot-pressure on the latch effects releaseof the actuating bar and the lever 5 snaps to braking engagement withwheels of the vehicle.

Another object is to provide a vehicle brake having a wheel-engagingbraking member which is a rigid generally U-shaped bar having its U-legs pivoted at opposite sides of the vehicle and having awheel-engaging foot on each U-leg, the U-bar being biased towheel-engaging position and there being a latch for securing the U-barin brake-release position.

It is, moreover, my purpose and object generally to improve thestructure and effectiveness of braking mechanisms for wheeled vehicles,and more especially baby carriages and strollers.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a medial vertical cross-sectional view of the rear portion ofa stroller equipped with braking mechanism embodying features of theinvention;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the stroller of Fig. 3 is across-sectional plan view on line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view on line i-Q of Fig. 2, on alarger scale, showing the brake disengaged; and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing the brake engaged.

Referring to the drawing, the invention is shown as it may be embodiedin a stroller which should be regarded as representative of wheeledvehicles of the general class having braking mechanism operable from aposition exteriorly oi the vehicle.

As herein represented, a stroller body I0 is mounted on a pair oftubular frame elements l2, w .1 suitable springs M at the rearresiliently the body on the frame elements, which T curve downward toconnections at IE on rear axle it. A usual generally U-shaped er handle2 has the ends of its U-arms unthe lower ends of the frame elements 512$each frame element 52 and an arm usher handle may be secured to the axleby one of the bolts is which extends through flattened ends of the frameelement and Pushearm and through the axle,'a nut 11 being threaded onthe end of the bolt to effect a secure connection.

According to the invention, a rugged and stiff 55 metal rod indicatedgenerally at B is bent to the 3 a generally U -shape as best seen inFig. 3, and this bent generally U-shaped bar B has its U-legs 22 pivotedat 24, one to each of the tubular frame elements i2, with the bridge 26of the U-bar having generally straight extent between the U-legs 2 2 anda little above the rear axle l8. The pivots 24 of the U-legs 22 arelocated so that the U-legs have a common pivotal axis which is inside ofthe peripheral circle of the rubber tire 28 of each rear wheel Sil. EachU-leg has a generally horizontally disposed foot 32 projecting outwardlyfor engaging a wheel tire 28, each foot 32 preferably being knurled asat 33 to enhance the frictional grip between a foot 32 and a rubber tire28.

Means is provided for constantly biasing the feet 32 toward a brakingengagement with the wheel tires 28 and, when not restrained, the feet 32forcibly engage the tires to effectively hold the wheels againstrotation.

As herein illustrated, a pair of springs 34 constantly bias the brakebar B about the pivots 2c in direction to cause its knurled feet 33 toengage the rubber tires 28 of wheels 30. The springs conveniently may beof a rat-trap type engaging between the axle and the bar B, with one endof each spring extending to a location where it is clamped between theaxle and a pusher arm 23 by the bolt l6, and with the other end of eachspring suitably connected to the bridge portion 26 of the bar as at 35,so that the springs urge the bar B counter-clockwise about pivots 24 asviewed in Figs. 1, 4 and 5. While I show a spring 34 adjacent each U-leg22, the springs may be otherwise arranged, or a single spring ofsuitable strength may serve.

At a mid-location along the rear axle 8, a strip of resilient metal 36has its lower end suitably secured to the axle and extends thencevertically upward to a location substantially above the axle where it isformed at 38 with a latching hook for engaging over the bridge of thebrake bar B to hold the latter in brake-releasing position against thebias of the springs 34. The hook 38 is open downward and the stripmaterial is bent upon itself at the entrance to the hook and extendsobliquely upward and rearwardly from the hook to provide an actuatorportion 40 which conveniently may be engaged by a foot to depress thehook latch for releasing the brake bar. Also this actuator portion Mlconstitutes a cam surface on which the bridge 25 of the brake barengages when pressed downward toward the latch, a continued downwardmovement of the bar camming the latch resiliently rearward until the barhas passed the entrance to the latch groove or hook, after which thelatch springs back to its bar-latching position with the bar held by thehook end of the latch.

Preferably a stiffening strip 42 of resilient metal is superimposed onthe main latch strip 36 for increasing the efiectiveness and durabilityof the latch.

It will be obvious, from the foregoing description, that the brake bar,when disengaged from the latch. is strongly biased by springs 34 inwheelbraking direction, and the braking feet 33 will be held strongly inbraking contact with the rubber tires 28 of wheels 39. When it isdesired to release the brake, a mere downward pressure of the foot onbridge 28 of the brake bar can cause the bridge 26 to become engaged bythe hook latch 38. In this connection, it should be noted that thebridge 26 of the brake bar may be engaged by the foot anywhere in itsrelatively lon straight extent at the rear of the carriage, and withoutsearching out a small pedal lever. However, to release the brake bar,for a braking of the vehicle wheels, a generally downward and rearwardpressure of the foot on latch actuator 40 will disengage the latch andsprings 34 immediately respond to snap the brake feet 33 into brakingengagement with the wheels.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a vehicle having an axle and a pair of wheels thereon, a brake forsaid wheels com prising a rigid generally U-shaped member, meanspivotally supporting said member between the wheels with the bridge ofthe U above and in general parallelism with said axle, said pivotalsupport includin axially aligned pivots intermediate the ends of theU-legs of said member, and each said U-leg having a foot thereonadjacent to the periphery of a said wheel, means biasing the U-shapedmember about its said pivots and constantly urging said feet towardengagement with the peripheries of said wheels, and means on said axlefor releasably holding the U-shaped member against its said bias withthe said feet out of engagement with the peripheries of said wheels.

2. In a vehicle having an axle with a pair of wheels thereon and havinga frame element extending upward from the axle adjacent to each wheel, arigid generally U-shaped brake bar pivotally mounted on said frameelements with the bridge portion of the U-bar disposed above andgenerally parallel with said axle and with a U leg of the bar adjacentto the inner side of each wheel, said pivotal mount of the brake barincluding aligned pivots inward from the end of each U-leg, and eachU-leg having a braking foot extending adjacent to the periphery of asaid wheel, spring means active between said axle and the brake barbiasing the bar in a direction about its pivot tending to engage saidbraking feet with the peripheries of said wheels, and a latch on saidaxle for holding the brake bar against the bias of said spring means,thereby to releasably maintain said braking feet out of wheelengagement.

3. A carriage brake for the rear axle-supported wheels of babycarriages, strollers and the like, comprising a rigid brake barpivotally mounted between the rear wheels and at an elevation higherthan the axle, said brake bar having extent to each side of the pivotand terminating at one side of the pivot in a brakin foot adjacent tothe periphery of a said rear wheel, resilient means acting on the bar atthe other side of its pivot biasing the bar in direction to engage saidbraking foot with the periphery of the said wheel, and a latch on saidaxle for releasably holding the brake bar against its said bias withsaid braking foot out of engagement with the wheel, said brake barhaving a portion depressible into engagement with said latch, and saidlatch having a depressible portion for unlatching the brake bar.

4. In a carriage having a rear axle with a pair of wheels thereon andhaving a pair of frame elements fixed relative to the axle adjacent tothe wheels, a generally U-shaped rigid brake memher having its U-legspivotally mounted on said frame elements on aligned pivots inward fromthe ends of said U-legs, each U-leg having a braking foot projectedoutward adjacent to the periphery of a said rear wheel, spring meansbiasing the brake member about its said pivots in direction tending toengage said braking feet with the peripheries of said wheels, aresilient latch on the axle for engaging the bridge portion of theU-shaped brake member thereby to releasably hold the brake memberagainst its said bias with the braking feet out of wheel engagement,said latch being responsive to a generally downward foot-pressure torelease the brake member whereby the said spring means re-acts to movesaid braking feet into wheel engagement.

5. In a carriage having an axle with a pair of wheels thereon, a brakingmechanism for said wheels, comprising a rigid brake bar having twogenerally parallel mounting portions and a relatively long portionconnecting said mounting portions, means for mounting the mountingportions on aligned pivots intermediate of their ends with saidconnecting portion above and parallel to the

